


keep on waiting (underneath the mistletoe)

by loonyBibliophile



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Mistletoe, Pining!Betty, regular high school au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 12:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17142023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyBibliophile/pseuds/loonyBibliophile
Summary: “Come on, Jug.” Betty wheedled, draping her arms around her best friend’s elbow as they walked through the snow dusted streets of Riverdale. “It’s our last Christmas in Riverdale! We have to do something”Betty drags Jughead to a christmas party. tumblr user whisperilllistentohearit's secret santa gift!





	keep on waiting (underneath the mistletoe)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whisperilllistentohearit on tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=whisperilllistentohearit+on+tumblr).



“Come on, Jug.” Betty wheedled, draping her arms around her best friend’s elbow as they walked through the snow dusted streets of Riverdale. “It’s our last Christmas in Riverdale! We have to do _something_.” 

“Please, Betts. This is not our last Christmas in Riverdale. Next December we’re all gonna be right back here, sitting in a booth at Pop’s, catching up on our first semester of college. You, me, Arch, Ronnie, all drinking the same flavor of milkshakes as always.” Jughead rolled his eyes, bumping his hip into Betty’s. 

“It’s one party, Juggie.” Betty replied, giving him her biggest and saddest puppy dog eyes. Jughead sighed, and Betty knew she’d gotten him to relent. 

“Fine, we can go to Veronica’s party tomorrow, but I retain the right to leave after two hours, and to complain loudly about any version of Santa Baby not sung by Eartha Kitt.” 

“Deal!” Betty said excitedly, smiling up at her best friend. “Do you want to ride over together?”

“Of course. Pick you up at 7, okay Betts?” he smiles at her, squeezing her shoulders in a quick hug before their paths begin to split, Betty heading to her house, and Jughead heading to Sunnyside. 

“See you tomorrow night, Jug. Be safe.” she waved at him as she turned down towards Elm Street, smiling to herself. _Pick you up at 7._

It wasn’t a date, not really, but it was close enough for now. Betty had spent most of her life having fleeting on and off crushes on Jughead Jones, but ever since her and Archie’s attempt to date had blown up spectacularly at the tenth grade homecoming dance, the crush had been less ‘fleeting’ and more ‘slowly but steadily falling stupid in love with her quiet, beanie wearing best friend’. However, she’d always fluctuated back and forth on how he felt about her. There were times she was almost sure he had to have a crush on her too, when he was smiling at her with his eyes pushed off to the side, shy and unsteady, or when he would roll his eyes and let her eat off his plate when anyone else would have gotten their hand slapped. But he never seemed to do the things Archie did, when they were courting, or the things she sees Veronica’s boyfriends do. He doesn’t look Betty up and down when she comes in the room, she never feels his eyes linger on her, even if she has her cheer uniform on. He doesn’t go out of his way to touch her. 

But, Betty had told herself recently, while talking herself into buying a very cute pink and gold holiday sweater she’d found, it was senior year. Senior year was a time for risks, for trying new things, for giving up on being afraid and taking a leap of faith into the deep end. Tomorrow night, she would make that leap of faith. Betty just hoped Jughead would catch her. 

The next night, Betty was hard at work getting ready for Veronica’s party. Her gifts were wrapped, and the various boxes nestled into a festive bag, as well as several cutely packaged bundles of cookies and homemade chocolates. Betty herself was sitting at her vanity, blinking carefully as she applied mascara. She had on a flouncy, gold velvet skirt, with white opaque tights, and a white blouse with a collar she’d embellished herself with gold thread, sequins, and bells. She slicked her lips with pain stakingly selected gloss. A soft, almost nude, pink, with just the sparest hint of gold shimmering through. It also smelled like strawberry milkshake. This was not an accident. She knew her best friend well, and hoped the smell might make him wonder what she’d taste like. Betty blushed slightly, imagining Jughead— finally— pulling her in for a kiss. She left her hair down, loose and shimmering. Satisfied with the results, she stood up to add the finishing touch. On a trip to the city with Veronica some weeks ago, Betty had spotted a pink knit holiday sweater. On it was a white cat, and ‘happy pawlidays’ in gold thread. But the important part of the sweater was a gold embroidered crown nestled between the cat’s ears. There’s no way Jughead would think that was an accident. At least she didn’t think so. 

Betty headed downstairs with her gifts in tow, not wanting to give her mother a chance to get to the door and traumatize Jughead before they even left the house. Polly was blessedly gone, off at some terrifying dinner with Jason Blossom’s extended family, and Betty was glad she wasn’t there to stand in the kitchen doorway, shooting Betty knowing looks as she fidgeted with the neatly curled ribbons on her packages. Polly was fully convinced Jughead was going to reciprocate Betty’s feelings. Well, actually, Polly thought Jughead had been in love with Betty since they met at Archie’s sixth birthday, but Betty thought that was absurd. 

The doorbell rang, rousing Betty from her thoughts, and she rose to her feet, clutching her bags as she opened the door. She hadn’t heard Jughead’s truck pull up, too lost in her own thoughts. But there he stood, in her doorway in his well loved sherpa jacket over a red sweater, beanie pulled snug. 

“Hi.” she said, smiling. 

“Hey Betts.” he returned the smile, and his eyes glanced over her sweater. His face went blank for a minute, and Betty started to panic, thinking she’d made him uncomfortable, but then his eyes slid shyly to the floor and he smiled, a crooked little thing she swore he saved only for her. 

“Ready to go?” she held up her bag, and Jughead nodded, so she slipped out the door behind him, locking it before slipping her key into a skirt pocket. 

“You uh.” Jughead mumbled, veering around to open Betty’s door for her “You look nice, Betts.” he said finally, giving her that sideways smile again, and Betty’s heart did a somersault in her chest. 

“Thanks, Juggie.” she said softly, her cheeks just barely flushed pink. 

The two made the rest of the brief drive to the Pembrooke Apartments in relative quiet, save for the crackling of Johnny Mathis on Jughead’s ancient truck radio. Betty tapped her fingers in time to the music, drumming idly against the window sill while Jughead careful pulled into the underground parking garage of Veronica’s complex. Once inside the impeccably decorated apartment, both were greeted by school friends with enthusiasm. Veronica of course, and Archie, and the various members of the Pussycats, and Kevin with his boyfriend Joaquin. Even Dilton Doiley was in attendance, hanging out with Kevin and quietly talking about tabletop game strategies while Joaquin rolled his eyes fondly. Betty squeezed Jughead’s arm before she slipped away, wanting to put her presents on the gift table and lay out all her homemade sweets. Veronica made her way over, doing her best to be very sneaky. 

“I just wanted you to know,” she began, smiling deviously at Betty, “That Kevin and I have a plan for tonight.”

“Oh god, V, no! I said no meddling!” Betty whispered shouting, looking alarmed and glancing over at Jughead, who had slipped into Kevin and Dilton’s conversation. 

“I know, B, I know, but I just had to! It’s Christmas! And I don’t want you to be able to chicken out. Tonight is the night, Betty Cooper. This is it.” Veronica’s voice was very serious as she grasped Betty’s shoulders and looked at her pointedly. 

“Okay, what’s your plan?” Betty asked, already rolling her eyes, as Veronica loudly and obviously whisked Betty off into the kitchen. 

“Well, I figure if we stay here long enough, he’ll come look for you.” Veronica answers finally, looking smug “You’re the only reason he’s even here, and besides, this is where the food is. He’s bound to wander in eventually. So we wait, and Jughead eventually appears, and I’ll spirit myself away so you two can chat and whatnot. Once a certain song comes on the speakers,” Veronica paused, grinning “You’ll know, trust me, then you mention the two of you should head out to the main party to mingle. But oh, what’s this? Some clever little holiday sprite has hung mistletoe while the lovebirds were chatting!”

“Really, V? Mistletoe?” Betty raised an eyebrow skeptically. 

“It’s a classic for a reason, B!” Veronica pouted “And there’s only the one exit to and from the kitchen, so you’ll have no choice but to do it that way. And I’ll make sure someone is standing nearby that will almost guarantee Jughead will agree to kiss you. If he even needs persuading at all, which he shouldn’t, because he’s clearly madly in love with you.”

“I think it’s ridiculous. But you’re right, I might have chickened out otherwise.” Betty said with a shrug “So let’s do this thing.”

“What are you so afraid of, B?” Veronica asked, her voice suddenly much softer as she put a hand on Betty’s shoulder. 

“I’ve known Jughead since I was six, Ron. He’s in all my memories, good and bad. He went with me to the homecoming dance in tenth grade when Archie and I imploded spectacularly. He held my hand when I got all my ear piercings. One time he lent me his beanie to wear after Ginger Lopez put gum in my hair. I can’t screw this up, V. It would ruin everything.” Betty shrugs, looking somewhat forlorn. Veronica sighed, reaching over to pull her into a tight hug. 

“Oh, B, honey. He’d be a fool not to love you. It’s going to be okay.”

And just like that, as if their conversation had summoned him, Jughead came wandering into the kitchen.

“Hey Betts? You still in— oh, hey.” he waved at Veronica and Betty, smiling lightly. 

“Sorry, I stole her.” Veronica shrugged, smiling playfully. “But she’s all yours now, Jonesy. See you two on the dancefloor.” Veronica wiggled her fingers as she spun away from the pair, heading to the living room. 

“Doubtful.” Jughead muttered to her retreating back, then turned towards Betty, leaning against the kitchen counter. “You okay, Betts? You sort of vanished.”

“Yeah, we were just reminiscing. You know, girl talk, nostalgia, all that stuff.” Betty said with a shrug, smiling at him. 

“Ah yes, of course.” Jughead nodded wisely, his eyes playful “What are you feeling nostalgic about, Betty Cooper?” he asks. Momentarily, Betty is caught off guard, but she comes up with the perfect answer, an easy smile stretching over her face. 

“Do you remember that Christmas in eighth grade?” she asked with a smile. Jughead squinted, thinking. 

“Remind me?” 

“The year Polly somehow convinced my mom and dad to buy us the Sims as a shared present.” Betty said. 

“Oh! Yes, I definitely remember that.” Jughead smiled, chuckling slightly. 

“That was such a fun winter break. Hiding in my garage, making Harry Potter characters in the Sims, and eating all those Reeses candies that Archie gave you because he decided he didn’t like peanut butter.” Betty sighed wistfully, remembering a handful of days spent crammed into a single leather office chair with Jughead, arguing about what personality traits best suited Ron Weasley. 

“That was a weird phase. It last what, two weeks?” Jughead chuckled. 

“Something like that, yeah. But I certainly wasn’t complaining, there was no way my mother would have ever allowed me to have that much candy.” Betty smiled.

“It’s my god given task as a Jones to incite rebellion in you, Cooper. I would be failing the family line if I didn’t convince you to eat too much chocolate or come on motorcycle joyrides with me.” Jughead smirked at her, and Betty felt her cheeks heat up. She shoved him playfully. 

“Yeah, well, you’d have spent a lot more time in detention without me around to keep you in line, Jones.” she teased, sticking out her tongue. 

“Well,” Jughead said, looking at Betty cryptically “You know what they say about opposites.” 

Before Betty can begin a perseverating spiral over what on earth that meant, the track playing on the living room speakers switches. Jughead groans, and Betty fights the urge to laugh, because this is absolutely Veronica’s signal. ‘You’ll know’, she’d said, and Betty certainly did, watching Jughead wrinkle his nose to the opening lyrics to Mariah Carey’s seminal classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. 

“Come on, Mr Grinch, we’ll go ask Veronica to change the song.” Betty said affably, fighting off the nerves suddenly growing in her stomach as she and Jughead made their way to the door. betty didn’t dare look up as they reached the archway, not wanting to seem suspicious. 

“Well well well,” a familiar voice crowed, stepping closer to them “look who’s stuck under the mistletoe.” 

Betty looked up and straight into Reggie Mantle’s face. In the distance, Veronica grinned at her. 

“I swear that wasn’t there earlier.” Jughead said with a frown, looking up at the sprig of green. 

“Who cares?” Reggie said smugly, arching an eyebrow. “It’s there now, so you have to lay one on Cooper. Those are the rules.”

Betty was instantly worried. She’d assumed Veronica would send Archie, or maybe Kevin. Reggie pushed every single one of Jughead’s buttons and this could barrel towards disaster very quickly. 

“Says an arbitrary tradition.” Jughead snarked, but his neck and ears looked ever so slightly pink. 

“Come on, Jones. Man up. Someone’s gotta kiss the pretty girl under the mistletoe, and if you won’t well, I’m right here.” Reggie sent a wink Betty’s way, and Betty instantly understood Veronica’s angle. She turned to Jughead, grabbing his shoulder softly. 

“Just ignore him Juggie. We can just go.” Betty urged quietly, but let her teeth sink into her glossed lower lip just slightly. Jughead looked at her, his eyes wide, his face unreadable. He took a step closer to her, and Betty’s heart sped up. She watched Jughead’s face closely, taking in the heavy way he swallowed, the way his eyes lingered on the line of her lips, the way his jaw tensed just slightly.

Then, without any other preamble, Jughead was kissing her, holding her face carefully in his hands. Betty smiled against his lips, stepping closer and wrapping her hands in the lapels of his coat. There’s a wolf whistle somewhere in the background, probably Archie, and Jughead steps back finally, still cradling Betty’s face in his hands. 

“Was that okay?” he whispered hoarsely. Betty bit her lip again, grinning as she nodded. her eyes darted to the gift table, and the small rectangular package stamped with Jughead’s name. 

“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked quietly, looking up at him with a shy smile. 

“Okay.” Jughead nodded, a hesitant grin making its way onto his lips. 

Betty slipped her hand into Jughead’s and grabbed his gift, then subtly waved Veronica off as they made their way to the door, wandering into the hall, then the elevator, and out of the lobby until they stood on the sidewalk outside the building. A light snow was beginning to fall. 

“So,” Jughead said, giving Betty a lopsided smile. She flushed, standing closer to him to hide from the cold. 

“I may have wanted you to do that for awhile.” Betty conceded, looking bashful. 

“I may have wanted to do that for awhile.” Jughead responded playfully, reaching over to tuck a strand of hair back behind Betty’s ear. He paused for a moment, just looking at her, smiling softly “I love when you wear your hair down.” he said quietly, still fiddling with a couple of wavy locks. 

“Yeah?” Betty asked, breathless, blinking up at him. Jughead nodded. 

“I like seeing you look… free. Like you aren’t trying to be anything else.” Jughead shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed by this admission. Betty beamed broadly at him, and promptly leaned up to kiss him again, more soundly this time, fisting her hands into his soft red sweater. 

“Your face is very warm.” Betty says after she pulls away. 

“I see how it is.” Jughead teases, sliding his arms around her waist “You’re just using me for my body heat.”

“Almost certainly.” Betty joked, her eyes sparkling playfully. “ I have a gift for you.” she presses the box into his hands. Carefully, Jughead opened it, revealing a battered, but signed, copy of Stephen King’s “On Writing”. His eyes went wide. 

“Where did you find this?” he asked, his voice low.

“In the city, with Veronica. When I bought this sweater.” Betty shrugged, her face pink once more. Jughead narrowed his eyes. 

“Betty Cooper! Was this party a ploy to seduce me?” he asked, voice full of mock outrage. Betty giggled. 

“Maaaaybe.” she said, fiddling with the hem of her sweater and fluttering her eyelashes up at him. He grinned. 

“I have a present for you too.” he whispered, and then produced a small box from one of his coat pockets. Betty took it from him, prying off the tape to pull the lid open. Nestled in simple white cotton was a silver chain with a key and the Riverdale High Crest hanging from it. 

“It was my mom’s, back when she worked for the paper, that was the key to the office. They’ve changed the locks, obviously, but I thought it might remind you of home, when we’re away at school.” Jughead explained, shuffling his feet slightly. Betty melted instantly, pressing herself into him for a tight hug. 

“Put it on for me?” she asked softly after she pulled away. Jughead nodded, and shivers ran down Betty’s spine as he gently brushed her hair aside to clasp the chain, running his fingers through the strands as he moved it back into place. 

“There.” he said softly, fiddling with the chain slightly, and looking down at her shyly. 

“I love it.” Betty said, her voice quiet but intense. “I love you.”

The words tumbled from her lips before she could even try to stop them, but before anxiety could dig its claws into her fluttering heart, Jughead smiled, taking hold of her face again. 

“I love you too.” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her again, his nose cold from the snow in the air, but his fingers warm and rough against her skin. Betty sighed, smiling once more into his kiss, and letting herself melt into him as the snow fell in gentle flurries around them.


End file.
